Bubble maker



Jan. 3, 1967 R. P. KNERR ETAL BUBBLE MAKER Filed May 2, 1966 UnitedStates Patent 3,295,248 BUBBLE MAKER Richard I. Knerr, Arcadia, andRichard L. Gillespie,

San Gabriel, Calif, assignors to Wham-ti) Manufacturing Company, SanGabriel, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 2, 1966, Ser. No.546,705 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-6) This invention relates to a bubble-makingtoy, and specifically to a bubble maker which is moved through the airto produce a large number of separate individual bubbles.

Many different types of bubble-forming devices are known, and are usefulin various forms of advertising displays as well as for amusing toys forchildren. These known devices typically generate either a single bubble,or a single train of many bubbles.

The bubble maker of this invention generates many separate trains ofbubbles which remain separated in space. Hundreds of bubbles can begenerated by the device to occupy a relatively large volume, and itprovides a high level of play value for children.

Briefly stated, the bubble maker of this invention includes a platehaving a plurality of holes therethrough. A plurality of nozzles aresecured to the plate, and the nozzles extend outwardly away from theplate. Each nozzle has a bubble-forming bore therethrough in alignmentwith a hole in the plate. A handle is secured to the plate, permittingthe extending nozzles to be dipped in a bubble-forming solution and thenmoved through the air in a direction parallel to the bores to produce atrain of bubbles from each of the nozzles.

Preferably, each nozzle is formed as a truncated cone which decreases indiameter as it extends away from the plate. The nozzle bores are alsopreferably conical, with the bores decreasing in diameter as they extendfrom the plate.

These and other aspects of the invention will be described withreference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side View of the bubble maker, and a phantom view of a panof bubble-forming solution;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bubble maker;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative form of the bubblemaker having separate nozzles secured in the plate; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the bubble maker being moved through the air togenerate bubbles.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a bubble maker formed according to the inventionincludes a generally circular, flat plate 11, having a plurality ofholes '12 therethrough. A handle 13 includes an offset portion 14secured to and extending upwardly (as viewed in FIG. 1) from an edge ofthe plate. A handgrip portion 15 of the handle is secured to the offsetportion and extends generally parallel to the major plane of the plate.

A plurality of nozzles 17 are secured to the plate and extend downwardly(as viewed in FIG. 1) away from the plate. Each nozzle defines a bore 18which extends through the nozzle in alignment with one of holes 12 inthe plate, the bore having an axis which is generally perpendicular tothe major plane of the plate. In a preferred form, the nozzles haveouter surfaces formed as truncated cones which taper and decrease indiameter as the nozzles extend away from the plate. The bores are alsopreferably conically shaped, with the smallest end of the bore extendingaway from the plate as shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 3.

Nozzles l7 and holes 12 are closely spaced in a hexagonal array on theplate as shown in FIG. 2. The hexagonal array permits a large number ofnozzles to be formed on a relatively small plate, increasing the numberof trains of bubbles which can be produced by a small, hand-held toy. Toavoid merger of individual trains of bubbles from the several nozzles,the nozzles should preferably be spaced apart on the plate by a distanceof at least twice the diameter of the nozzle outlets. For example, if abore diameter of one-fourth inch at the outlet end of the nozzle isused, the nozzles should have a center-to-center spacing of at leastone-half inch on the plate. Preferably, the plate nozzles and handle areintegrally formed from a single piece of plastic. We have found that thebubble maker may be economically molded as a unit from high-impactstyrene or a similar plastic ma terial. The device may of course also beassembled from separate elements, and this construction is illustratedin FIG. 4 which shows separate cylindrical nozzles 20 ccmented orotherwise secured in the holes in plate 11.

Clean separation of bubbles from the nozzles is provided by decreasingthe wall thickness of the nozzle outlets. Thus, in the cylindricalnozzles shown in FIG. 4,

the effective wall thickness at the nozzle end is narrowed by providinga small annular lip 21 at the nozzle end. In the conical nozzle shown inFIG. 3, the same result is produced by forming the inner and outernozzle surfaces to converge toward each other to a relatively sharp edgeat the nozzle outlet. The nozzle end may also be serrated to provideeasy separation of the bubbles from the nozzle.

In use, the bubble maker is loaded by dipping the nozzles in abubble-forming solution 22 contained in a pan 23 as shown in phantom inFIG. 1. The offset handle permits the ends of the nozzles to be immersedin the solution while the users hand is positioned comfortably above thepan. The bubble-forming solution, which may be of any conventional,commercially available type, migrates into the bore and forms as a filmin the nozzle bore.

The bubble maker is then lifted out of the pan and moved through the airas shown in FIG. 5. As the bubble maker is free of structuralimpediments in alignment with the bores, air passes freely through thenozzles, forming the solution into trains of bubbles 25 which emergefrom the nozzles. A sutficient quantity of bubble-forming solutionadheres to the interior walls of the bore to permit several separatepasses of the device through the air before the solution supply isexhausted. Literally hundreds of bubbles are generated during each pass,and two or three passes will produce sufficient bubbles to occupy aconsiderable volume.

A particular advantage of the conically-shaped nozzles is that theindividual trains of bubbles emerging from the nozzles are sufficientlylaterally spaced from each other to avoid contact and merger of thebubbles into a single agglomerate bubble such as is produced when asimple nozzleless perforated plate is used. The: conical bores enhancethe air-flow characteristics of the device, and provide improved controlover the migration of the bubble-forming solution within the nozzle toinsure generation of a continuous train of relatively uniformly sizedbubbles.

We have found that a taper of approximately twenty degrees on thenozzles and bores produces excellent results. A nozzle outlet diameterof about one-fourth inch allows many small bubbles to be formed from thesupply of solution stored in the nozzle, and permits many nozzles to beformed on a relatively small plate. Adequate surface for storage ofbubble-forming solution within the nozzles, effective control of airflow through the nozzles, and good separation of the individual bubbletrains is provided by extending the nozzles approximately one-fourth toone-half inch away from the plate. Preferably, the nozzles extend atleast one-eighth inch from the plate to avoid merger of adjacent bubbletrains.

There has been described a bubble maker which is well adapted tomass-production molding techniques, and can be economically formed froma single piece of material. The bubble maker is unique in its ability toform multiple trains of many bubbles which remain separate in space anddo not tend to group together as at the nozzle outlets to form a singleagglomerate bubble.

We claim:

1. A device for simultaneously producing a plurality of adjacent butseparate streams of bubbles as air is forced through the devicecomprising:

a plate having a plurality of closely arranged holes therethrough,

a like plurality of nozzles extending at least one-eighth inch outwardlyfrom the plate and each nozzle having a central bore aligned andcommunicating with a separate one of said plurality of holes,

the holes and associated nozzles being spaced from each other such thatthe outer open ends of the nozzle bores are on centers at least equal toabout twice the diameter of the openings;

the several nozzles and holes in the plates being unobstructed so as topermit passage of air simultaneously therethrough; and

a handle extending from the plate generally in a direction normal to theaxis of the nozzles.

2. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which each nozzle has an outersurface formed as a truncated cone which decreases in diameter as itextends away from the plate.

3. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which the bore in each nozzleis conical, the bore decreasing in diameter as it extends away from theplate.

4. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which the handle has an oflsetportion secured to the plate and a handgrip portion secured to theoffset portion whereby the plate is readily dipped in a pan of thebubble-forming solution.

5. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which each nozzle has a wallthickness which decreases as the nozzle extends away from the plate.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which the several nozzlesextend from the plate from about oneeighth inch to about one-half inchand all of the nozzles are the same length.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C.PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. J. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT BUTSEPARATE STREAMS OF BUBBLES AS AIR IS FORCED THROUGH THE DEVICECOMPRISING: A PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CLOSELY ARRANGED HOLESTHERETHROUGH, A LIKE PLURALITY OF NOZZLES EXTENDING AT LEAST ONE-EIGHTHINCH OUTWARDLY FROM THE PLATE AND EACH NOZZLE HAVING A CENTRAL BOREALIGNED AND COMMUNICATING WITH A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OFHOLES, THE HOLES AND ASSOCIATED NOZZLES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHERSUCH THAT THE OUTER OPEN ENDS OF THE NOZZLE BORES ARE ON CENTERS ATLEAST EQUAL TO ABOUT TWICE THE DIAMETER OF THE OPENINGS; THE SEVERALNOZZLES AND HOLES IN THE PLATES BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO AS TO PERMITPASSAGE OF AIR SIMULTANEOUSLY THERETHROUGH; AND A HANDLE EXTENDING FROMTHE PLATE GENERALLY IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF THE NOZZLES.